The purpose of this screen cast is to introduce the collections 
of 3-D models available in the  Alice3 gallery.
in particular, we look at why 3-D models in the gallery are in classes 
and the overall organization of these classes within the gallery.
Our goal is to make it easy to find different kinds of models.
Where to find a specific model in the gallery.

Please note that new models are still being developed by members of the Alice team.
Each update of Alice3 will likely include new models.
In our daily lives we think of a model in many different ways.
We think of a model as a product when we say, "This car is the latest model."
We might think of a model as someone to be imitated when we say, "She is a model student."
To an architect, a model might be a blueprint or design for construction.
In animation film studios such as Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks 
A 3-D model is a digital representation of an entity which is someone or something.
Animation adds motion to a model.

In Alice, a class puts together a digital representation of an entity,
a  plan for constructing it, and instructions for animating it, all in the same file.
A more general definition is:  "A class defines a type of object or model entity 
and actions that can be performed by that object."

The Alice gallery contains classes for creating and animating objects in an Alice virtual world.
Now click on the scene set up button in the lower right-hand corner of the scene view window.
Here we see a newly created Alice world.

An object tree is displayed in the upper left corner of the scene.
The object tree contains a list of all the objects in the scene.
A new scene automatically has a ground, or water surface, and the camera.
Each object is an instance of a class in the gallery.
The scene is an object of the scene class.
The ground is an object of the ground class.
And the camera is an object of the camera class.

In the scene editor,  we see the scene view,  the methods panel ,
the control panel, and the gallery at the bottom of the screen.
In an Alice world many objects are added to a scene
then animated to tell a story,
create a simulation, or play a game.

This means that hundreds, if not thousands, of classes are needed in the gallery.
To make it easy to find a specific class,
The  gallery is organized into collections of classes.
Biped, flyer, prop, quadruped, swimmer, seen here.

Each folder represents a different directory in the computer's file system,
similar to a drawer in a file cabinet.
A folder contains classes that share the same mode of mobility.
The mode of mobility is how an object gets around in a scene.
For example: biped's walk on two legs,.
while quadruped's walk on four legs.

To view the classes in the collection single click on the folder for that collection.
Here we click on the biped class folder.
The  scrollbar at the bottom of the gallery panel can be used 
to view the complete collection of classes in this folder.
These classes are in the biped folder 
because they each represent an entity that has two legs for walking 
and moving around the scene.

Notice however that each has its own unique properties.
For example the alien has green skin.
The wolf has a long nose.
The bunny has long ears.

One way to find a specific 3-D model in the gallery
is to take advantage of the organization system.
Think about how it moves around:
Does it walk on two legs? 
Walk on four legs?  Fly? Or swim?

Then click that class folder and use the scrollbar to find the specific model.
For example to look for the Sims person,
select the biped folder because a person is likely to move around on two legs.
then click on the person thumbnail sketch as you can see 

Sims people objects belong to the person class in the biped folder.

An alternate way to find a specific type of model
is to use the gallery search box located here.
To activate the search box, click the box.
The mouse cursor should begin to blink in the box.

Enter a descriptive word for an object.
For example, here we started typing cat
and Alice displayed models were cat is a significant part of the name.
The more characters typed, the more Alice narrows down the possible matches.

In this screen cast, we were introduced to the collections of 3-D models available in the gallery,
as well as learn why these models are organized into classes.
How the classes are organized into collections,
and how to search for specific models in the gallery.